U.S. seizes ton of cocaine south of Dominican Republic

The U.S. Coast Guard reported Tuesday the "historic" seizure of 2,500 pounds of cocaine valued at $37 million in a joint international operation in waters south of the Dominican Republic.

The drug was confiscated on Dec. 22 after a Coast Guard surveillance aircraft spotted a go-fast boat carrying four people and suspicious cargo at a high rate of speed.

The Coast Guard then dispatched one of its helicopters, based aboard the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel Wave Knight, to intercept the boat.

Seeing they were trapped, the crew threw several packages in the water, which were later recovered by the Coast Guard and taken Tuesday to Miami Beach aboard the cutter Sitkinaka.

"This historic operation is a result of a dedication to improved interoperability and highlights the great success and commitment of our interagency partnerships to stop the illegal flow of narcotics into the United States," Rear Adm. Jake Korn, commander of the Coast Guard Seventh District, said in a statement. EFE